Copycat
by Reizo Myu
Summary: How does the Joker respond to having his face plagarized?  Let's find out.  Also, this fic is dedicated to HoistTheColours.  Send them happy thoughts.


**A/N:** So mad I can't believe it. I'll explain after the fic, for now I need to write my heart out. I DO NOT OWN BATMAN. The quote from this chapter is taken from the movie Batman: The Dark Knight.

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><p><strong>Copycat<strong>

If there was one thing I would not stand for it was this blatant copying. This was bootlegging to its highest, an insult to me and what I do, and it was not going to be tolerated. I figure I'm a simple guy. Why not go about a simple route? It would be easy enough, after all. I would need just a few things first. As I stood up from my creaking bed in the tiny motel I'd been staying at, I growled and shut off the tv, nearly plunging the room into the darkness. It didn't matter. I wasn't afraid of the surrounding blackness, I thrived in it.

I could see like a _bat_ in the dark.

Chuckling darkly at my little joke, I turned on a nearby lamp and set out to a task that would over joy me any other time. However, this was more of a personal statement to be made. When I went out in public, I often went in disguises. Tonight, I was going as myself.

I opened the closet door on the right wall, opposite the bed, and began to pick out my clothes., still practically naked from re-dressing some of my battle lesions.

I chose and emerald shirt with a pattern of turquoise pinstripes running down it. I chose my amethyst cuff links, valued at around 100,000 dollars each. Lavender slacks went next, boot length, perfectly tailored: those were pulled up just above my hips and secured by a neon orange belt. Soon after I pulled matching orange suspenders on and reached for me jacket. It took was lavender, with wide lapels and buttons I had picked myself. The internal lining was green and there were five pockets stitched into the inside. Taking hold of my overcoat, I shivered lightly, relishing the feel of the leather that barely brushed the exposed skin at the nape of my neck. The overcoat, too, had several inner pockets.

As I'd noted before, I'm a man with _simple _taste.

I popped my neck before reaching for the finishing touches. A pinstriped, green fedora adorned my curls while I lovingly, carefully pulled on my gloves. I moved to turn off the lamp, heading towards the door and taking hold of my pure black walking stick before opening my door and returning to outer Gotham.

The scum of scum in this city called to me. I was headed to the lowest of the low, the very underbelly of Gotham. I growled lightly as I stepped into my... recently acquired mode of transportation. Everything else that I would need was in the trunk of the car and at my place of interest. The car itself was an old, white Chevrolet. It was also quite a the tank. However it was nothing compared to Batsy's... monstrosity. It would have to do, though, as I planned on breaking quite a few traffic laws to reach my destination.

I was headed to a Joke Shop in the Narrows.

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><p>Bruce Wayne sat grimly in the black velvet chair that was positioned in front of the television at his luxurious penthouse. His eyes were fixed, narrowed, on the television screen. Mike Engel was reporting once more. A small image flashed in the black recesses of Mr. Wayne's mind.<p>

_"If you don't want to be in the game... get out now. But the bridge and tunnel crowd are sure in for a surprise. Ha ha ha ha."_

"All viewers please beware, the footage about to be aired is... shocking." Engel said, trying to keep is face straight. Even on the tube, Bruce could see he was sweating. However, at the moment, the boy billionaire was more concerned with the video footage.

A picture came on to the screen, a wide panned shot of a man in, what was obviously, a lit up office. He was sitting in a leather chair, his arms and torso strapped down by several layers of what appeared to be zip tie. His mouth, however, had the head of a rubber chicken protruding from it and his face had been painted black, white, and red.

Wayne leaned forward, ever so slightly in his seat. He recognized the man in the chair.

It was Ellis Duncan, a snitch for the Zucco Crime Family and owner of a joke shop in the Narrows. He'd recently released a line of... questionable products. It was then that the major stockholder of Wayne Enterprises knew why the footage had appeared this morning. The man remained stoic throughout the following events.

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><p><em>"Helllllllllo Gotham. It's just the Joker popping in to remind you all of your place." the man behind the camera growled. There was quite a light of shaking and static as he propped his video recorder upon something, apparently none too well as the next few minutes of the video is filmed at an angle. He continues as the video rolls on, walking into the frame to stand behind the man in the chair, screaming through his gag.<em>

_Abruptly, he is cut off as the Joker taps him over the back of his head with his a long stick._

_"Now... Mister Ellis Duncan here has decided to make some extra cash by marketing something that belongs to me..." the man in the purple suit growls. Quick as lightning he's rushed over to growl in the camera screen, a small bead off drool can be seen glistening at the corner of his mouth as he bares his teeth. "My face!"_

_It's then that, from the insides of his overcoat, the Joker pulls out several items and holds them up for the camera to see. There can be seen a plush Joker doll, a plastic case of Halloween make up with an absurd rictus grin on the label, a small statue of the Batman standing on top of a delirious looking Joker, and a plastic mask of the man himself, a caricature of the real thing._

_"And what did Mister Duncan say when I asked him about this?" with this, the Joker angrily snatches up the camera again and brings it over to Ellis's face, ripping the gag out of his mouth and letting him regain his breathe. "What. Did. You. SAY?"_

_Tears rolled down the helpless man's face as he answered, in a mutter, "itoljooewerzjusbusneez."_

_"Little louder." the Joker coaxes, black humor in his voice._

_Ellis lets out a wail before answering, "I told you it was just business! You gotta understand pal, it's hard makin' money around here ! I was just... I was just trying to gain some attention, trying to get my name out there!"_

_The wild sobs continue in the background as the Joker turns the camera to his face once more, no mercy seen in his features._

_"I'm not the kind of guy who takes kindly to people stealing from me. This is my face. This is my city. It is not to be plagiarized. It's not up for grabs." he growls Then, with look of enlightenment he grins. "Oh, and to my friend Batman... I know you're watching this. If you really want to protect your city, you'll make sure this merchandise... and yours... is taken off the shelves tonight. Permanently."_

_Wild, unrestrained laughter can be heard as the recorder is dropped to the floor and, just before the tape shuts off, we can hear the start of a scream._

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><p>Batman was not able to remove all the Joker and Batman merchandise from every store in Gotham before dawn the next day.<p>

At twelve o'clock, the bodies of seven joke shop owners, ones known to supply the Joker and Batman products, were found strung up in the trees of Gotham park, wearing Batman capes and contorted into flying position.

Over their faces were Joker masks.

On their cheeks, there were open gashes.

It does not escape Bruce Wayne's attention that the Joker seemed to know he did not like his face being sold anymore than the clown did.

FIN

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><p><strong>AN: **So... I wrote this to get out my angst over a fanfiction recently shown to me by another writer. It appears that someone has stolen paragraphs from one of their wonderful stories (Hero) and used them to create a slashfic. While very annoying I will not respond with violence nor have I considered threatening this person with anything other than an abuse report to our server, this was a short one shot written to express how I feel the Joker would have handled having something of his copied and put out for the masses to see. The writer I name is **HoistTheColours **and if you haven't read any of their work, you're missing out because it's fantastic. However, her beautiful writings are currently on hold due to the events I have just explained to you. Please send them kind words of encouragement and love to show that you too do not agree with how she has been wronged. Thank you. I love you guys.


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